Jacquard looms



June 1, 1965 w, sElLER 3,186,439

JACQUARD LOOMS Filed Aug. 22, 1962 s Sheets-Sheet 1 June 1, 1965 w.SEILER JACQUARD LOOMS Filed Aug. 22, 1962 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 I INVENTOR.

zuz4w June 1, 1965 w. SEILER 3,186,439

JACQUARD LOOMS Filed Aug. 22, 1962 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 M 75 15 r w z E F .5m 5 J V INVENTOR.

aim/ .52am 5274347? 1 BY M 4 m United States Patent S 39,199 5 Claims.(Cl. 139-59) The present invention concerns a Jacquard loom, the warpthreads of which are adapted selectively to be brought into an uppershed and a lower shed position by means of the Jacquard mechanism forforming a shed.

Control members which are adapted to be raised and lowered engage thewarp threads and operate in conjunction with a punch card belt of theJacquard mechanism by means of drop needles, leading needles and mainneedles and also lifting bars. If a drop needle is read in a hole of thecard belt, then the lifting bar associated with this drop needle, whichin turn is urged against a reciprocating cutter bar by the associatedneedles, lifts the control member connected thereto, whereby the warpthread concerned gets into the upper shed position. On the other handwhile the drop needle is not read in the punch card belt, the controlmember associated therewith is released and then under the influence ofan external force is drawn downwards causing the warp thread connectedtherewith to be brought into the lower shed position.

In known Jacquard looms the actual Jacquard mechanism is arranged a fewfeet distance from the warp threads adapted to form the shed and on acorrespondingly high upper structure frame and connected with the warpthreads by means of so-called healds.

In order to bring the warp threads released by the Jacquard mechanismdownwards each time into the lower shed position, weights are suspendedon connecting healds between the harness cords and warp threads.

The object of the present invention is to eliminate in a Jacquardcontrolled loom the weight loading of the healds and of the needlemechanism of the Jacquard mechanism to reduce the overall height withthe omission of long heald cords and to enable rotary speed to beincreased to an extent possible in other types of looms.

According to the present invention, a Jacquard controlled loom comprisesthe combination of a plurality of lifting bars serving as controlmembers for the individual warp threads of the loom, each lifting barhaving an eyelet through which warp threads pass and two verticallyspaced apart recesses, a plurality of control slides, arranged in pairs,associated with the individual lifting bars and arranged at suchvertical distances from one another, that one slide of each pair isadapted to engage in the upper recess and the other slide in the lowerrecess of the associated lifting bar, a plurality of slide housingsarranged in pairs one above the other, and adapted to be controlled soas to be moved in vertically opposite directions, the control slidesbeing mounted in these housings so as to be horizontally displaceablewhile the lifting bars are vertically displaceable, control means beingprovided for displacing the slide housings in opposite directions andmeans being provided for reciprocating the control slides within theslide housings so that the two control slides of each pair are caused tobe engaged in and disengaged from the associated lifting bar.

After each weft entry the control slide housings return to their initialposition which they assume at small vertical spacings from one another,and the control slides are caused to disengage again from the liftingbar recesses by any suitable means. The working cycle is then repeatedcorresponding to the punch card pattern, which is incorporated in thecard belt passing through 'ice intermittently beneath the drop needlesof the Jacquard mechanism.

In the loom of the present invention it is necessary for the needlemechanism of the actual Jacquard mechanism to displace the control slideonly to a negligible extent compared with hitherto required cordweights. As soon as the control slides actuated by the Jacquard mechanism have engaged in the associated lifting bars, each slide housingforcibly carries the lifting bar connected thereto upwards or downwards.Without noteworthy loading of the actual Jacquard mechanism a warpthread group is thus caused to be lifted into the upper shed positionand a second group of warp threads simultaneously pushed down into thelower shed position exclusively with the aid of rigid control members inthe form of lifting bars, control slides and slide housings.

The invention will be described further, by way of example, withreference to the accompanying diagrammatic drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a side elevation, partly in section, showing the Jacquardcontrol system of a loom;

FIG. 2 is a view similar to that of FIG. 1, but on a somewhat largerscale, showing the Jacquard control system in a different workingposition and including a supporting frame;

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary view on an enlarged scale corresponding to partof FIG. 1 with the individual parts in different position;

FIG. 4 is a vertical section on the line IVIV of FIG. 3; and

FIG. 5 is a horizontal cross-section on the line VV of FIG. 3.

The Jacquard control system illustrated in the drawings, serves thepurpose of bringing, in conventional manner, warp threads 2, stretchedin conventional manner over warp beams 1 of a loom, in groupsalternately into the upper shed and lower shed positions. The systemcomprises lifting bars 3 having eyelets 4 through which the warp threads2 are inserted, the lifting bars 3 being arranged in two rows situatedone behind the other and extending over the whole width of the loom.Each lifting bar 3 is guided below its eyelet 4, by its lower end So,which is adapted to reciprocate in a slot in a horizontally disposedfixed slot plate 5, which is mounted on a frame 6 placed on the base ofthe Jacquard loom adjacent thereto.

Two box-like slide housings 7a and 7b are mounted on the frame 6 so asto be raised and lowered by means of a drive conveniently actuated bybranching from the main drive of the loom, and are retained in theirstarting position, evident from FIGS. 1, 3 and 4, before each shed formation of the warp threads 2. For the purpose of shed formation, theslide housings 7 are displaced from the position in which they aresituated at the smallest vertical distance from one another, away fromeach other by means of the aforementioned actuated drive so that theupper housing 7a moves upwards and the lower housing 7b moves downwardsand after picking in the shed has been carried out they are returned totheir starting position. Each housing thereby carries, via theparticularlifting bars 3 which are connected thereto in a manner described below,the corresponding group of warp threads 2 into the upper shed or lowershed position and subsequently returns the warp threads into the centerposition (FIG. 1). The housings 7 like the above mentioned rows oflifting bars 3 also extend transversely (weft direction) of the Jacquardloom and over the whole width thereof.

The upper end 3b of each lifting bar 3 which passes through the lowerhousing 7b and extends into the upper housing 7b is guided in acorrespondingly slotted base plate 8 of the housing 7b. The slottedplates 5 and 8 serving to guide the lifting bars ensure that these barsassume a vertical position and are prevented from tilting in every position of the housings 7. Each upper end 3b of lifting bars 3 has tworecesses a and it) formed therein, of which the recess 9 is situatedwithin the housing 7a and recess Iii within the housing 7b as long asthe two housings are situated in the original position. Moreover, eachlifting bar end 3b also has a projection 11 which is adapted to besupported against the base plate 8 of the housing 7b and prevents thebars 3 from slipping down out of this housing.

Each bar 3 is controlled by a pair of slides 13a, 13c, and 13b, 13d.Slides 13a and 13b are guided in the upper housing 7a and the slides 13cand 13d are guided in the lower housing 7b, each being displaceable in ahorizontal direction in corresponding slots in opposite side walls ofthe associated housing. Each of the control slides 13a, 13b, 13c and 13dprojects outwardly from these side walls and carries a projection 14situated within its associated housing. Through this projection theslides are adapted to engage in one of the two recesses 9 and 10 of thelifting bar 3 associated therewith. The individual pairs of controlslides 13a, 13c and 13b, 13d, are so controlled, in a manner describedbelow, that continually only one slide of each pair, slides 13a, 13cwhich are operable with one of the two bars 3 as seen in FIG. 1 andslides 11%, 13d which are operable with the other of the bars 3, isadapted to be brought periodically into rigid connection with theassociated lifting bar 3, the two housings 7a and 7b, during theengagement, being situated in their abovementioned original position.

Pusher needles 16a and b, displaceable in the horizontal direction, areadapted to act on that one of the two ends of each control slide pairprojecting from the associated housing '7 which with the action of anexternal compressive force, causes the slide to engage in thecorresponding recess 9 or 10 of the lifting bar 3 associated therewith.Advantageously, as seen in FIG. 5, each slide 13 has a head surface 15upset or flanged thereon. The individual pusher needles 16a and b areguided in a vertical supporting plate 17 fixedly mounted on the frame 6and are biased -by coil springs 18 (FIG. 1) which tend to draw thepusher needles off the associated slider heads 15. Moreover the twopusher needles 16a and b associated to each control slide pair 13a, 13cand 13b, 13d are also guided behind the supporting plate 17 in eyelets19 of a draw needle Ztl adapted to be raised and lowered. Eachindividual draw needle 20 is engaged by a spring 21 which tends to pullthe needle 20 downwardly and by a connection 22, which may beconstructed in the form of a cable, chain, lever rod mechanism or even amanotte. The connections 22 of the draw needles 20 are adjoined by thepattern reading mechanism of a Jacquard mechanism 23, which is ofconventional design. Each of the hooks 24 belonging to the patternreading mechanism is guided on a drop needle 25 which, depending uponthe punched pattern of a belt card 26 passing over the pattern drumduring a working stroke of the loom is either retained in a raisedposition by this card belt or however read into a pattern hole of theband. The Jacquard mechanism moreover contains a pair of reciprocatingknives 27, which engage the hooks 24 adjusted by those drop needles 25which are read-in and via the connections 22 also draw the associateddraw needles upwardly against the action of the springs 21.

As is evident particularly from FIG. 1, a complete set of control slidepairs, pusher needle pair-s, draw needles 20, connections, hooks 24,drop needles 25 and cutters 27 is provided for each row of the liftingbar 3, these sets being arranged behind one another in the direction ofthe warp threads 2. Only the card belt 26 of the Jacquard mechanism 23and the two slide housings 7a and lb are common to the two rows oflifting bars.

If, a drop needle 25 in the card band 26 via the associated hook 24 andthe connection 22 a draw needle 21 is drawn upwardly, the draw needleconcerned accordingly swings upwardly the pair of pusher needles 16 1 or12 mounted displaceably in its eyelet 19 about the guide positionsthereof in the fixed plate 17. Controlled thrust members in the form ofangular ledges 28 which are mounted so as to be displaceable in ahorizontal direction on the frame 6 are adapted to act on the ends ofthe pusher needles 16 remote from the control slides 13. For all pusherneedle pairs, which belong to one or the other abovementioned rows oflifting bars, a thrust member pair comprised of superimposed angleledges 28 are provided. The thrust members 23 in each of these two pairsare situated at such vertical spacings from one another that only one ofa pair of needles 15a and b controlled by the same needle 2t? can getinto the operational range of a thrust member 2-8 at the same time. Thatis the case in all upper pusher needles Ilda, when the draw needles 2%)associated therewith are in a raised position. Likewise, the lowerneedles 16 of the same pusher needle pairs, when the Jacquard mechanismreleases the draw needles ass ciated with these pairs and the springs 21draw the needles 2t concerned downwardly, are controlled by means ofthrust members 28 associated therewith and thereby to bring the controlslides co-operating therewith to engage in the associated lifting barrecesses.

The whole control system for the warp threads 2 insorted through thelifting bar eyelets 4- comprising the Jacquard apparatus 235 includingdrop needles 25, hooks 24 and cutters 27, draw needles 2% and theconnections 22 thereof to the hooks 24, controlled thrust members 23together with pusher needle pairs 16a and I), control slide pairslfia-d, slide housings 7 and also lifting bars 3 adapted to be raisedand lowered, is arranged on the frame 6 disposed on the loo-1n floor.Owing to this separate disposal it is readily possible for the Jacquardcontrol system to be free of all vibrations caused in the actual loom,more especially by impacts of the shed and consequently able to operatewithout interruption. It also ensures a satisfactory engagement of thecontrol slides in the associated recesses 9 and 1% of the lifting bars 3before the shed is formed when the housings '7 assume their originalposition, i.e. are at their shortest vertical distance from one another.in this position of the two housings 7a and 7b the upper ends 312 of thelifting bars 3 which project correspond-ingly upwardly beyond theprojections 11 formed thereon, strike against the cover plate 12 of theupper slide housing 7a (FIGS. 1, 3 and 4). The position of the lift ingbar ends 3!) is hence accurately fixed like the position of the controlslides guided in the lateral housing Walls and associated therewith.

If, by corresponding control from the Jacquard mechanism 23, thedifferent control slides engage in an upper or lower recess 9 or it) ofthe lifting bars 3 associated therewith and together with the bars 3have been carried along by the housings 7a and 71; moving apart, thewarp threads inserted through the lifting bar eyeletsd form a shed (FIG.2). The mean height of the shed formed each time is adapted to be veryaccurately and finely adjusted in the most simple manner by the factthat the stroke distance of the two housings 7a and 7b is accordinglyregulated within liirnts conditioned by the construction. After the shedformation, as already mentioned, the two housings 7a and 7b again carryout a movement opposite to one another until they have returned to theoriginal position and the warp threads 2 have assumed a central position(FIG. 1). The main drive of the loom now via an intermediate drive (notshown) actuates counter thrust members 29 which on the opposite side ofthe housing 7, like the thrust members 28, are mounted on the frame 6 soas to be horizontally displaceable. One controlled counter thrust member2 sufices for each slide housing 7. When the two counter thrust members29 ad- Vance from their inoperative position shown in FIG. 1 in thedirection of the control slides, they lead all the control slidesengaged in the lifting bar 3 to the left to such an extent that theslide projections 14 are again disengaged from the associated recesses 9or ill) of the lifting bars 3. The return movement of the control slidesfrom the original position evident from FIG. 3 can be limited by theslide projections 14 or also by other stops provided on the controlslides in such a manner that all slides with their head ends 15 areagain just supported against the associated pusher needles, which inturn after being released by those thrust members 28 which have justreceded, have assumed their inoperative position under the influence ofthe springs 18. This terminates a working stroke of the Jacquard loom.

As will be apparent, it is dependent alone upon the pattern punched inthe card band 26 as to which of the drop needles 25 are momentarily readinto the card band and which drop needles 25 are released by theJacquard mechanism 23 for the working stroke concerned. The controlslides 13 co-operating with the drop needles which function to bring thelifting bars 3 associated therewith into the upper end position, forexample, when the housings 7a and 71) move apart, simultaneously causingthe control slides co-operating with the released drop needles and thelifting bars connected therewith to assume the lower end position duringthe working stroke concerned.

The Jacquard control system is also adapted to be accommodated on thesubstructure frame of the loom, if the arrangement of a separatesupporting frame appears inappropriate. However, particularly with asmaller number of warp threads, it is also possible to utilize only asingle row of lifting bars 3. It is also possible to arrange the liftingbars 3 in more than two rows disposed one behind the other in thedirection of the warp threads.

I claim:

1. In a Jacquard controlled loom having warp and weft threads, a devicecomprising the combination of a plurality of vertically displaceablelifting bars serving as control members for the individual warp threads,each lifting bar having an eyelet through which passes a warp thread, anupper recess and a lower recess vertically spaced apart in each liftingbar, a plurality of horizontally displaceable control slides arranged inpairs and associated with each said individual lifting bar and arrangedat such vertical distances from one another, that one slide of each pairis adapted to engage in said upper recess While the other slide isadapted to engage in said lower recess of the associated lifting bar, aplurality of vertically displaceable slide housings arranged one abovethe other,

and adapted to be controlled to move in vertically opposite directions,said control slides being mounted in said slide housings so as to behorizontally displaceable while said lifting bars are verticallydisplaceable and means are provided for reciprocating said controlslides within said slide housings so that the two control slides of eachpair are caused to be engaged in and disengaged from the associatedlifting bar.

2. The device according to claim 1, wherein said lifting bars arearranged widthwise of the loom in a plurality of rows, one behind theother, the eyelets of the lifting bars through which the warp threadspass being situated one behind the other, a pair of control slides beingassociated with each lifting bar of a row.

3. The device according to claim 1, wherein actuating means are arrangedfor displacing the control slides to cause them to engage in theassociated lifting bars, the actuating means operating in response to apattern mechanism including drop needles and a pattern card.

4. The device according to claim 1, wherein each lifting bar is guidedin a lower slot of the lower slide housing and in a fixed slot platewhich is conveniently arranged beneath the eyelet of the lifting bar.

5. The device according to claim 1, wherein the Jacquard mechanism,including the control slides, the means for actuating said slides, theslide housings and the lifting bars, is mounted on a separate framedisposed adjacent said loom controlled by said Jacquard mechanism.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,759,530 5/30Wells 139-69 1,838,048 12/31 Ambler 139-59 1,945,997 2/34 Rossmann 13959FOREIGN PATENTS 481,082 8/15 France.

350,032 9/18 Germany.

292,397 6/28 Great Britain.

264,873 11/49 Switzerland.

273,360 2/51 Switzerland.

DONALD W. PARKER, Primary Examiner.

RUSSELL C. MADER, Examiner.

1. IN A JACQUARD CONTROLLED LOOM HAVING WAP AND WEFT THREADS, A DEVICECOMPRISING THE COMBINATON OF A PLURALITY OF VERTICALLY DISPLACEABLELIFTING BARS SERVING AS CONTROL MEMBERS FOR THE INDIVIDUAL WARP THREADS,EACH LIFTING BAR HAVING AN EYELET THROUGH WHICH PASSES A WARP THREAD, ANUPPER RECESS AND A LOWER RECESS VERTICALLY SPACED APART IN EACH LIFTINGBAR, A PLURALITY OF HORIZONTALLY DISPLACEABLE CONTROL SLIDES ARRANGED INPAIRS AND ASSOCIATED WITH EACH SAID INDIVIDUAL LIFTING BAR AND ARRANGEDAT SUCH VERTICAL DISTANCES FROM ONE ANOTHER, THAT ONE SLIDE OF EACH PAIRIS ADAPTED TO ENGAGE IN SAID UPPER RECESS WHILE THE OTHER SLIDE ISADAPTED TO ENGAGE IN SAID LOWER RECESS OF THE ASSOCIATED LIFTING BAR, APLURALITY OF VERTICALLY DISPLACEABLE SLIDE HOUSINGS ARRANGED ONE ABOVETHE OTHER, AND ADAPTED TO BE CONTROLLED TO MOVE IN VERTICALLY OPPOSITEDIRECTIONS, SAID CONTROL SLIDES BEING MOUNTED IN SAID SLIDE HOUSINGS SOAS TO BE HORIZONTALLY DISPLACEABLE WHILE SAID LIFTING BARS AREVERTICALLY DISPLACEABLE AND MEANS ARE PROVIDED FOR RECIPROCATING SAIDCONTROL SLIDES WITHIN SAID SLIDE HOUSINGS SO THAT THE TWO CONTROL SLIDESOF EACH PAIR ARE CAUSED TO BE ENGAGED IN AND DISENGAGED FROM THEASSOCIATED LIFTING BAR.